1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a control method therefor, and a storage medium, and in particular to transfer control performed to transfer an image generated by an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer (hereafter referred to as a PC) to an external display device such as a projector.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, when transferring an image from an information processing apparatus to an external display device such as a projector, an analog connection using an analog RGB cable is used. On the other hand, establishing an analog connection is not only time-consuming, but also difficult when an information processing apparatus and an external display device are placed far away from each other. Further, there is a demand to connect a plurality of information processing apparatuses to an external display device. For these reasons, there has been known a so-called network screen transfer system which connects an information processing apparatus and an external display device to each other via a network.
In the network screen transfer system, a screen displayed on a display unit such as a monitor, which an information processing apparatus has, is subjected to so-called screen capture by the information processing apparatus on a regular basis, and image data obtained by screen capture is transmitted to an external display device.
Here, a cellular phone is taken as an exemplary information processing apparatus. The cellular phone has a Web browser as standard equipment so that Web pages can be browsed using a network infrastructure such as a telephone line or a wireless LAN. In recent years, due to increase of Web browsing using cellular phones, Web pages for cellular phones as well as Web pages for PCs are provided in sources of Web pages.
On Web pages for cellular phones, the number of contents is limited as compared to Web pages for PCs, and further, twists are added with consideration given to characteristics of cellular phones such as layouts appropriate to operation on touch panels which cellular phone are equipped with in many cases.
On the other hand, there has been known a system that displays a screen, which is being displayed on a cellular phone, on an external display so as to circumvent a limit placed by a small screen of a cellular phone, so that even Web pages for PCs can be browsed using a cellular phone in a comfortable way (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2006-295965).
According to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2006-295965, however, no consideration is given to a case where a screen is transferred from a cellular phone to another display device. For example, when a Web page screen for cellular phones which is being displayed on a cellular phone is transferred to an external display device such as a projector, the Web page screen for cellular phones which is being displayed on the cellular phone is displayed on the projector. In this case, a displayable screen resolution of the projector cannot be fully used, and a user who sees a projection surface of the projector with his/her eyes feels that the amount of information on the projection surface is not sufficient.
FIG. 7 is a view which is useful in explaining a conventional network screen transfer system.
In the network screen transfer system shown in the figure, a PC 702 and a smartphone 703, which is an exemplary cellular phone, are connected to a Web server 701 via a network. Here, the Web server 701 transmits a Web page for PCs to the PC 702, and as a result, the Web page for PCs can be browsed on the PC 702. On the other hand, the Web server 701 transmits a Web page for smartphones to the smartphone 703, and as a result, the Web page for smartphones can be browsed on the smartphone 703.
As shown in the figure, projectors 704 and 705 which are external display devices are connected to the PC 702 and the smartphone 703, respectively, via wireless lines. When a Web page for PCs obtained by the PC 702 is transferred to the projector 704 and displayed by projection, a projection screen 706 is displayed. Because the screen resolution of a Web page for PCs is high, the projection screen 706 is projected using the whole projection surface, and hence the projection surface of the projector can be fully used.
On the other hand, when a Web page for smartphones obtained by the smartphone 702 is transferred to the projector 705 and displayed by projection, a projection screen 707 is displayed. Because the screen resolution of a Web page for smartphones is low, the projection screen 707 is projected on part of a projection surface (central part of the projection surface), and hence the projection surface of the projector cannot be fully used.